Attachment for starting an internal combustion engine



c. L. DUNCAN 2,901,911

ATTACHMENT FOR STARTING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Sept. 1, 1959 Filed Oct. 8, 1956 INVENTOR CHESTER L. DUNCAN ATTORNEY A'ITACHIVIENT FOR STARTING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Chester L. Duncan, St. Louis, Mo. Application October 8, 1956, Serial No. 614,526

' 6 Claims. 01. 74-7 This invention relates to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to an attachment for starting an internal combustion engine.

Small gasoline-driven engines are, today, in Widespread use for powering lawnmowers, small generators, air compressors, anclfljthe like. These engines are generally of the single or multi-cylinder air cooled type, and are rarely provided with any power-operated selfstarter. However, such engines are usually started by wrapping a pull-rope around a starting pulley rigidly attached to the flywheel or crank shaft, and then manually giving the rope a quick pull to thereby unwind the rope and cause the pulley and engine to turn over. Frequently, however, the engine fails to start and the procedure must be continually repeated until such time as the engine does start, thereby causing considerable annoyance and inconvenience to the user.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a power driven attachment for an internal combustion engine, which attachment is adapted to crank and start the engine.

It is a further object of the present invention to prvide a power-driven starting attachment for an internal combustion engine, which attachment can be driven by a conventional available source of power, such as an electric hand drill.

. 2 with a downwardly projecting rim 9 having a plurality of axial teeth 10 adapted to engage matching teeth 10' formed on the upper end of a reduced collar portion 11 ofa nut 12. The teeth 10' on the reduced collar portion 11 define an annular opening 12' adapted to receive the lower end portion 2' of the body element 2, and the nut is internally threaded at 13 to fit the upwardly projecting threaded end 14 of a shaft 15 of an internal combustion engine M. 1 V

In use, the nut 12 is threaded onto the upwardly projecting end 14 of the shaft 15. The arbor 1, with its associated body element 2 and collar 5, is then fitted into the chuck C, and the end portion 2 is fitted into the annular opening 12,.whereupon the collar 5 will be properly axially aligned with respect to the collar portion 11, and the teeth 10 of the collar 5 are caused to engage the matching teeth 10' of the nut 12. The hand drill or other prime mover associated with the chuck C is then switched on and as thech'uck C, the arbor 1, and the body element 2 begin to rotate, the pin 3 will abut the upper end 7 of the slot 6 to thereby cause the collar 5 to rotate in unison with the body element 2. Power will then be transmitted to the shaft 15 which cranks the engine M.

At such time as the engine M fires and runs under its.

own power the starting attachment A is disengaged. If, however, this is not done as quickly as necessary, no

harm will result because as the speed of rotation of the.

engine shaft 15 becomes greater than the speed of rotation of the chuck C, the nut 12 will drive the collar 5 at a speed greater than the speed of the body element 2, and the camming action of the pin 3 in the slot 6 F It should be understood that changes and modifications It is also an object of the present invent-ion to provide Z a power-driven starting attachment of the type stated which is'extremely simple and economical to construct, and can be operated with a minimum of physical effort.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing (one sheet) Fig. l is an exploded elevational view, partly broken away and in section, of a power-driven attachment for starting. an internal combustion engine constructed in accordancewith'afid embodying the present invention;

Fig.2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, A designates a starting attachment comprising an arbor 1 adapted to fit into a chuck C of a conventional electric hand drill, the latter not being shown. Rigidly provided at the lower end of the arbor 1 is an enlarged cylindrical body element 2 having a lower end portion 2' and a short, radially outwardly projecting pin 3 threaded or otherwise rigidly secured thereto as at 4. Rotatably and slidably mounted on the body element 2 is a cylindrical collar 5 provided with an elongated angular slot 6 having an upper end 7 and a lower end 8, said angular slot 6 embracing the pin 3 which is slidable therein. The collar 5 is also formed in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of an attachment for starting an internal combustion engine may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from thenature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. For use with internal combustion engines having an element connected to and rotatable with the engine shaft; starter attachment means comprising in combination a driven member adapted for operative attachment at one end to the engine shaft element, said driven member being providedat its other end with an axial recess having an annular rim, said rim being provided with member, said sleeve being axially shiftable on the driving member and being provided at one end with axially presented teeth shaped for complementary engagement with the teeth of the driven member, and means on the driving member for driving engagement with the sleeve whereby to transmit rotary movement from the driving member to the driven member through the sleeve in one direction only.

2. For use with internal combustion engines having an element connected to and rotatable with the engine shaft; starter attachment means comprising in combination a driven member adapted for operative attachment at one end to the engine shaft element, said driven member being provided at its other end with an axial recess having an annular rim, said rim being provided with axially pre sented teeth, a driving member sized at one end for snug- Pat ented Sept. 1, 1959- fitting removable disposition axially within the recess of I driving :member, said sleeve being axially shiitable on the driying member and i being provided-at one end with axially' 'presented teeth shaped for complementary en- 9 gagement with the teeth of'the drivenmember, and means on thedrivingmember for driving engagement with the sleeve whereby to transmit rotary movement from the member to the driven member through the sleeve in one direction only.

3. For use with internal combustion engines having anfelement connected to and rotatable with the engine shaft; starter attachment means comprising in combination a driven member adapted for operative attachment atone end to the engine shaftelement, said driven membet being provided at its other end with an axial; recess having an annular rim, said rim being provided with axially presented teeth, a driving; member provided at one end with an axially projecting portion sized for seated disposition within the recess whereby the driving member will be held in substantial axial alignment with and project outwardly from the driven member, said driving member further'being provided at its other end with an arbor for engagement in power-driven chucks and the like, a sleeve. mounted on and carried by the driving member, snidsleeve being axially shiftable on the driving member being provided at one end with axially presented teeth shaped for complementary engagement with the teeth of the driven member, and means on the driving member for driving engagement with the sleeve whereby to transmit rotary movement from the driving membe: to the driven member through the sleeve in one direction only.

4."For use with internal combustion engines havingan element connected to and rotatable with the engine shaft; starter attachment means comprising in combination a driven member adapted for operative attachment at one end to the engine shaft element, said driven member bung provided at its other end with an axial recess having an annular rim, said rim being provided with axially presented unidirectional teeth, a driving member sized at one end for fitting axially within-the recess of the driven member and being provided at its other end with an arbor for engagement in power-driven chucks and the like, a sleevexmounted on and carried by the driving member, said sleeve being axially shiftableon the driving membar and being provided at one end with axially presentedteeth shaped for complementary engagement with the teeth of the driven member, and means on the driving member for driving engagement with the sleeve whereby to transmit rotary movement. from the driving member to the driven member through the sleeve in one direction only. i r

5. For use with internal combustion engines having 4 an element connected to and rotatable with the engine shaft; starter attachment means comprising in combination a driven member adapted for operative attachment at one end to the engine shaft'element, said driven member being provided at its other end with an axial recess having an annular rim, said rim being provided with axially presented teeth, a driving member sized at one end for fitting axially within the recess of the driven member and being provided. at itsfother end ,with an 7 member and being provided atone end with axially presented teeth shaped for complementary engagement with the teeth of the driven member, said sleeve being provided with camming slot means extending angularly upwardly from the teeth, and pin means mounted in h and extending laterally outwardly from the driving memher and being disposed'operatively within the camming slot means'whereby to transmit rotary movement from the driving member to the driven member through the sleeve in one direction only.

6. For use with internal combustion engines having an element connected to and rotatable with the engine shaft; starter attachment means comprising in combination a driven member adaptedfor operative attachment at one end to the engine shaft element, said driven member being provided at its other end with an axial recess having an annular rim, said rim being provided with axially presented teeth, a driving member sized at one end for fitting axially within the recess of the driven member and being provided at its other end with an arbor for engagement in power-driven chucks and the like, a sleeve mounted on and carried by the driving member, said sleeve being axially shiftable on the driving member and being provided at one end with axially presented teeth shaped for complementary engagement with the teeth of the driven member, a plurality of camming slots formed in the sleeve, said slots extending angularly upwardly away from the teeth, and pins mounted in and projecting radially outwardly from the driving means and being operatively engaged in said slots whereby to transmit rotary movement from the driving member to the driven member through the sleeve in one direction only.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,284,887 Vollenwelder June 2, 1942 2,448,291 Balton Aug. 31, 1948 2,604,882 Schnacke July 29, 1952 2,731,006 Hansel June 17, 1956 2,804,957 Pechin Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS France June 17", 1921 

